Lahat ng Kabanata ng Taken by the Mafia King: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

SeraIt was midnight by the time Killian came home.I lay tucked in between his silky black sheets, wearing one of his shirts, reading a book about gardening that I’d found in one of the parlors. Sleep tugged at my eyelids, and the words on the page were starting to blur, but I had to stay awake.I had to apologize to him. I couldn’t sleep well knowing our last interaction wasn’t a good one.I kept the door cracked, so when I heard the sounds of entry in the distance, my heart lurched in fear as much as it did happiness. After Briggs, a seed of uncertainty had been placed in my chest. What if it wasn’t Killian, and someone else discovered how to infiltrate the manor?The side table lamp was on beside me, too, filling the room with a warm, soft glow so that when Killian walked in, he wouldn’t have to fumble around in the dark—or freak out when I spoke from the gloom.His hand pushed open the door, and he slipped in, his eyes finding mine as if magnetized. A lightness filled me.“Welcom

SeraThe young man was another ghost from my past. It was like staring at Leo as a teen— almost a miniature of my late brother, which meant he was an echo of our mother: the same dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a similar face shape.But that was the end of the resemblances. Dustin’s hair was curly, and the blue of his eyes wasn’t as cold and aloof as Leo’s had been. They were curious and hesitant, untouched by the cruelty of the mafia life.Leo had been sucked into it. At fifteen, he’d started to change, and he’d put on an impenetrable armor. He’d become mean and short-tempered as he spent more and more time following our father around. And before I knew it, he was more than just Dad’s shadow.I don’t remember what it was or when exactly, but there was a moment when I was hit with the realization that Leo wasn’t Leo anymore. At some point, he stopped being my brother and was a full-fledged mobster.Dustin was different. That was evident—comfortingly so. And for a moment, I felt a rush

SeraAfter I found Joyce, thankfully nowhere near Giuliana’s wing, I told her to bring supplies to Mom and Dustin, then headed back to their room.They were in the middle of making the beds with fresh sheets on the massive king-sized bed in one room and a queen in the adjoining chamber. Mom’s bed could easily accommodate three people.“I hope you don’t mind sharing these rooms,” I said as I slid pillowcases over the pillows. “There are other guest suites if this is too close for comfort.”“It’s perfect,” Mom assured me, though we both looked at Dustin to confirm if the teenage boy was comfortable with the arrangement.He shrugged with indifference, and I saw the tiredness in his eyes. Whether he cared or not, he was too exhausted to protest. He smiled briefly when I handed him a pillow, too shy to meet my gaze, but I didn’t mind at all. It was going to take both of us some getting used to the fact that we had a new sibling. It occurred to me: did Dustin know I existed before now? Had

SeraEven though my foot hadn’t healed from the cuts from the glass during Briggs’ raid, I ran as fast as I could to Giuliana’s suite on the third floor, Killian, Tommaso, and Olivia hot on my heels. Dustin lingered in the octagon room, unsure what to do. But at least he was okay.Because Giuliana was screaming from the barroom, followed by the shatter of glass and a grunt.“Mom!” I gasped.I ran into the room to see Giuliana cowering behind the bar, a bottle of alcohol in each hand. Mom stood a few feet away, surrounded by the remains of other bottles. Even in the dim lighting, Killian’s mother looked deranged and haggard. When my mother risked turning her head to react to my call, the difference between them was staggering. Caterina Morelli Bianchi was fierce, clear-eyed, and clear-lunged from the lack of nicotine. They may have been the same age, but they had spent their years in completely different worlds.“Your mother helped me pick the wallpaper,” Giuliana had sneered the last

SeraI knew Niccolò was going to die quickly and violently, but I still screamed when the bullet jerked his head back. The sound of metal piercing flesh and bone was lost to my scream.I wanted him dead, I just didn’t expect the quickness of it.Pull the trigger, hit the right spot…Boom, done.My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screeching tires. “Get down!” Killian roared as a different car started firing on us.Tommaso shoved me down into the space between the front and back seats as glass exploded around us. This rental was no armored SUV. We were all wearing bulletproof vests, but that did no good to guard our heads.“Drive!”Adrian didn’t need to be told twice. He put the car into reverse and slammed on the gas. We launched forward—Killian had to brace his hands on the dash to avoid bashing his head into it. He swore in pain from the shards of glass cutting into his fingers.“Killian!” I gasped in fear, yanking my gag off and trying to sit up, but Tommaso pushed my head